The present invention is directed to a method and device for the subdivision of a continuously fabricated, endless metal coated or backed laminate web into individual panels.
Metal coated laminates consist of a laminate plastics core, wherein on at least one surface of this laminate plastics core, a metal foil is placed and firmly connected. The laminate plastics core again, as a rule, is composed of individual layers of carrier or support material impregnated with duroplastic resin. Such a metal coated laminate is, for instance, a copper coated electrolaminate which serves as the initial material for fabrication of printed circuit boards. This consists of individual layers of fiberglass tissue or fabric impregnated with epoxy resin which are extruded or pressure molded under the action of heat and pressure, with galvanically precipitated copper foil of high purity deposited thereon.
Increasingly continuous processes are used for the fabrication of such metal coated laminates since these yield an enhanced quality and quantity when compared with the discontinuous processes. Such a continuous process which operates with a double band press is indicated in German Laid-Open Patent Application OS No. 33 07 057. Since the metal coated laminate is obtained as an endless web in the continuous processes, it is, however, necessary to subsequently subdivide this web into individual panels.
It is known from the above-mentioned publication to use hammer shears behind the double band press. With such shears, one obtains panels which have the width of the laminate webs and a length corresponding to certain preset fixed dimensions. With this method, however, one does not obtain a clean sectioned edge. In the section edge produced with the shears, the metal foil lifts off the laminate plastics core in the edge region. Upon touching this edge, glass fibers penetrate into the skin and the hardening agent used for accelerating the setting reaction of the resin which clings to the glass fibers results in itching, allergies, etc. It is therefore necessary to remove the burrs at the sectioned or severed edge by subsequently machining these sectional edges with a milling machine. This subsequent machining results in additional costs.
It is furthermore known to utilize circular saws used in timber processing installations for cutting discontinuously fabricated or batch processed metal coated laminates. This, however, also does not yield a clean edge. This edge also has to be machined. In order to remedy this situation, several equally large panels of the metal coated laminates are stacked above each other, clamped together and then sawed into smaller panels, wherein, in that case, the sectioned edge is somewhat better. To be sure, this process again involves cost-intensive manual labor and cannot be automated. In addition, such a process can only be sensibly utilized in discontinuous or batch fabrication of the metal coated laminates since the laminates which have to be clamped in superimposed fashion must already be available as panels with specific fixed dimensions. Thus, it can be seen that this process cannot be utilized in the continuous fabrication of metal coated laminates.
In these known processes for subdividing metal coated laminates, it is thus a disadvantage that the panels are supplied with preset fixed dimensions and do not have the dimensions that are randomly desired by the buyer. In addition, these panels have sectioned edges which require additional machining. Thus, after the subdivision process, additional work processes and material oversizing must already by preplanned in the subdivision of the laminates.